New Delhi: Following is the chronology of events in the Rafale fighter jets deal in which the Supreme Court rejected Thursday review petitions against its verdict and gave clean chit to the Narendra Modi government:
Dec 30, 2002 Defence Procurement Procedures (DPP) adopted to streamline process
Aug 28, 2007 Ministry of Defence issues Request for Proposal for procurement of 126 MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) fighters
Sept 4, 2008 Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group incorporates Reliance Aerospace Technologies Ltd (RATL)
May 2011 Air Force shortlists ‘Rafale’ and ‘Eurofighter’ jets
Jan 30, 2012 Dassault Aviation’s Rafale aircraft comes up with the lowest bid
March 13, 2014 Work Share agreement signed between HAL and Dassault Aviation under which they were responsible for 70 per cent and 30 per cent of the work, respectively, for 108 aircraft
August 8 Then Defence Minister Arun Jaitley tells Parliament that 18 direct ‘fly-away’ aircraft expected to be delivered in 3-4 years from signing of the contract; remaining 108 aircraft to be given in next seven years
April 8, 2015: The then foreign secretary says detailed discussions underway between Dassault, MoD and HAL
April 10 New deal for acquisition of 36 direct ‘fly-away’ aircraft from France announced
Jan 26, 2016 India and France sign MoU for 36 Rafale aircraft
November 18 Government states in Parliament that the cost of each Rafale aircraft to be approximately Rs 670 crore and that all aircraft will be delivered by April 2022
December 31 Dassault Aviation’s Annual Report reveals the actual price paid for the 36 aircraft at about Rs 60,000 crore, more than double the government’s stated price in Parliament
March 13, 2018 PIL in SC seeks independent probe into disclosure of the cost involved in the deal before Parliament
September 5 SC agrees to hear PIL seeking stay on Rafale fighter jet deal
October 8 SC agrees to hear October 10 fresh PIL seeking direction to Centre to file in ‘sealed cover’ the details of the agreement for buying 36 Rafale jets
October 10 SC asks Centre to provide details of decision making process in the Rafale fighter jet deal in a sealed cover
October 24 Former Union Ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan moves SC, seeking registration of FIR into Rafale fighter jet deal
October 31 SC asks Centre to place it in sealed cover within 10 days the pricing details of 36 Rafale fighter jets
November 12 Centre places price details of 36 Rafale fighter jets in a sealed cover before SC; it also gives details of steps that led to finalisation of the Rafale deal
November 14 SC reserves judgement on pleas seeking court-monitored probe in Rafale deal
December 14 SC says there is no occasion to doubt the decision-making process of the Modi government and dismisses all the petitions seeking direction to the CBI to register an FIR for alleged irregularities in the jet deal
Jan 2, 2019 Sinha, Shourie and Bhushan move SC seeking review of its December 14 judgement
February 26 SC agrees to hear review petitions in open court
March 13 Government tells SC that documents filed by review petitioners are sensitive to national security
April 10 SC dismisses Centre’s objection claiming privilege over documents by petitioners to seek review
April 12 BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi moves SC against Rahul Gandhi for wrongly attributing his ‘chowkidar chor hai’ remarks on Rafale to the apex court
April 23 SC issues contempt notice to Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on Rafale verdict
May 8 Rahul Gandhi tenders unconditional apology in SC
November 14 SC dismisses review pleas against its verdict in the Rafale deal, rejects contention that there was need for registration of an FIR in connection with the procurement of 36 fighter jets from French firm Dassault Aviation.
SC closes contempt plea against Rahul Gandhi.